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Waiting Periods

Solutions

Waiting Periods

What does it solve?

A waiting period law requires a certain number of days to pass between the purchase of a gun and when the buyer can actually take possession of that gun. This creates a buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun.

Creating a buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun can be the difference between life and death. Waiting period laws require gun buyers to wait until a certain period of time has passed before they are able to access a gun they have purchased.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a counselor from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress anywhere in the US.

Waiting Periods

Which states require a waiting period before gun purchases?

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Waiting Periods

Alabama has not adopted this policy

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Alaska has not adopted this policy

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Arizona has not adopted this policy

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Arkansas has not adopted this policy

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California has adopted this policy

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Colorado has adopted this policy

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Connecticut has not adopted this policy

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Delaware has not adopted this policy

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Florida has adopted this policy

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Georgia has not adopted this policy

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Hawaii has adopted this policy

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Idaho has not adopted this policy

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Illinois has adopted this policy

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Indiana has not adopted this policy

Waiting Periods

Iowa has not adopted this policy

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Kansas has not adopted this policy

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Kentucky has not adopted this policy

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Louisiana has not adopted this policy

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Maine has adopted this policy

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Maryland has adopted this policy

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Massachusetts has not adopted this policy

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Michigan has not adopted this policy

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Minnesota has adopted this policy

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Mississippi has not adopted this policy

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Missouri has not adopted this policy

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Montana has not adopted this policy

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Nebraska has not adopted this policy

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Nevada has not adopted this policy

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New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

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New Jersey has adopted this policy

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New Mexico has adopted this policy

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New York has not adopted this policy

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North Carolina has not adopted this policy

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North Dakota has not adopted this policy

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Ohio has not adopted this policy

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Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

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Oregon has not adopted this policy

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Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

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Rhode Island has adopted this policy

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South Carolina has not adopted this policy

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South Dakota has not adopted this policy

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Tennessee has not adopted this policy

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Texas has not adopted this policy

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Utah has not adopted this policy

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Vermont has adopted this policy

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Virginia has not adopted this policy

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Washington has adopted this policy

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West Virginia has not adopted this policy

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Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

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Wyoming has not adopted this policy

Myth & Fact

Myth

Suicide is inevitable.

Fact

Suicide can be prevented. In fact, the vast majority of people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide. Most people who attempt suicide do not die—unless they use a gun. Across all suicide attempts not involving a firearm, 4% will result in death. But for gun suicides, those statistics are flipped: about 90% of gun suicide attempts end in death.

How it works

When someone is considering suicide, days matter—and waiting periods can save lives.

Guns are by far the most lethal method of commonly-used methods of self-harm, with a fatality rate of about 90%. By contrast, less than 4% of people who attempt suicide using other methods will die, and the vast majority of people who survive a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide. Although guns are used in less than 6% of suicide attempts, more than half of suicide deaths are by gun. In a study of statewide suicide rate changes between 2013 and 2014, states with waiting periods saw a decrease in suicide rates, while those without waiting period laws had an increase.

While it is imperative that lawmakers close the “Charleston Loophole,” which would require some gun buyers to wait for several days until their background check is completed before they can complete their purchase, that policy only affects gun buyers whose records require further investigation to determine if they are prohibited. By contrast, a waiting period applies to all gun buyers—providing a “cooling off” period for the people who might reconsider their intentions in the interim.

You might be wondering…

  1. 1 How long are the waiting periods in the states that have these laws?
  2. 2 Do waiting periods accomplish the same things as closing the Charleston loophole?